All Books
Joshua's Island
Patrick Hodges
Synopsis: This book has been retired and is Out-of-Print from Alpha Academic Press. The author has chosen another publisher. Look for print copies in the near future.
Publication Date: 05/03/15
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Autumn of Elves
Joanne Vruno
Synopsis: Panic fills Aly and her grandmother when Aly's ten-year-old sister, Emily, sees a troll. The shock of Emily also having magical powers gives way as the sisters begin to share a world of intrigue. Aly becomes Emily's instructor and protector while they interact with many new creatures―some of which are fascinating and some terrifying. Aly finds her guardianship responsibilities increasing as the autumn wears on. Can she keep her sister and all the light elves safe from the dangers that await?
Publication Date: 05/01/15
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fantasy
Vampire Affliction: The Vampires of Athens, Book Two
Synopsis: Gertie has become friends, and has possibly fallen in love, with both a demigod and a vampire, who happen to be at war. Although she sympathizes with the vampire uprising and has even become a vampire herself, she distrusts the leaders, especially when they plan to kill humans to cull out the demigods before ambushing them. As the three unlikely friends discover that neither side is perfectly good or evil or right or wrong, they work together to try to bring about the best outcome; but, when their parents and the gods undermine their efforts and hang them out to dry, the three teens realize they're on their own and no one will save them.
Publication Date: 04/29/15
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Series
Amelia's Middle-School Graduation Yearbook
Synopsis: Amelia is excited to graduate from middle school, but she's nervous about starting high school, especially when she finds out she won't have her best friend, Carly, with her. In her graduation yearbook, drawings and "photos" nostalgically recap her earlier years and notebooks as Amelia figures out how to face the changes ahead.
Publication Date: 04/28/15
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
True Son
Lana Krumwiede
Synopsis: Powerful forces collide in this explosive conclusion to the middle-grade dystopian Psi Chronicles trilogy.

Four months ago, Taemon was able to stave off an invasion by the Republikite army by using tricks to convince his enemies that the people of Deliverance still had the telekinetic ability known as psi. Now, though, the truth of his deception has come to light, and the Republik is prepared to mount another attack, led by General Sarin and his son, Gevri. Once an ally, Gevri is fuming over Taemon’s perceived betrayal. Now that his father has put him in charge of a special archon unit, Gevri is ready to exact revenge on his foe—and, with Deliverance securely in the control of the Republik, to end the centuries-long war between the Republik and the Nau nations. Can Taemon—the supposed True Son and savior of Deliverance—find a way to save his people one last time?
Publication Date: 04/28/15
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Science Fiction
Deception's Pawn (Princesses of Myth)
Synopsis: Fortune favors the bold in this adventurous tale of broken friendships, forbidden love, and a fiery heroine’s journey to escape the role into which she was born. Perfect for YA fantasy fans of Shannon Hale, Malinda Lo, and Tamora Pierce.
 
Maeve, princess of Connacht, seems to have won her freedom. Her father, the High King, is finally allowing her to explore the world beyond his castle. But Maeve soon discovers that being the High King’s daughter doesn’t protect her from bullying or the attention of unwelcome suitors.
 
Struggling to navigate a new court, she must discourage the advances of her father’s rival, who is vying with her host’s son for her hand in marriage. Maeve is a pawn trapped between these two boys. Her bold defiance will bring her to the brink of disaster, but her clever gamble may also lead to her independence. Though she faces danger and intrigue, Maeve will also discover what kind of person—and queen—she’s destined to become.
 
Praise for award-winning author Esther Friesner:
 
“Fans of Disney’s Brave will be delighted to explore the Celtic landscape with another determined, redheaded princess.” —SLJ
 
“Bring on the adventure!” —Tamora Pierce, New York Times bestselling author
 
“A perfect blend of the historical and fantastic.” —Cindy Pon, author of Silver Phoenix
Publication Date: 04/28/15
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Historical Fiction
The League of Beastly Dreadfuls Book 1
Synopsis:

A creepy Victorian house, secretive aunties, and a great escape combine in this debut that is part Mysterious Benedict Society, part Roald Dahl, and all quirky, smart, hilarious storytelling. Join the League. . . .
 
Anastasia is a completely average almost-eleven-year-old. That is, UNTIL her parents die in a tragic vacuum-cleaner accident. UNTIL she’s rescued by two long-lost great-aunties. And UNTIL she’s taken to their delightful and, er, “authentic” Victorian home, St. Agony’s Asylum for the Criminally Insane.

But something strange is going on at the asylum. Anastasia soon begins to suspect that her aunties are not who they say they are. So when she meets Ollie and Quentin, two mysterious brothers, the three join together to plot their great escape!

"Marvelously inventive and utterly demented, THE LEAGUE OF BEASTLY DREADFULS is nasty good fun from beginning to end!" -- Bruce Coville, My Teacher is an Alien

"WONDERFULLY WITTY. It reminds me of Roald Dahl's The Twits only in an insane asylum."—Chris Grabenstein,  Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library

* “A yummy debut.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Just the right mix of humor, magic, maliciousness, and suspense"—Booklist

"Anastasia is anything but average, and her adventures are just beginning."—Publishers Weekly

"Enough mystery and humor to keep readers wondering what will happen next. A solid debut reminiscent of Lemony Snicket's "A Series of Unfortunate Events."--School Library Journal

"Abundant humor....Charmingly offbeat ...sure to entertain."--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
 

Publication Date: 04/28/15
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Humor
Lore: A Pirate's Charm
Chad T. Douglas
Synopsis: When she flees Barbados in the late 1780s, the last thing Molly Bishop expects is to begin life anew with a criminal—much less the infamous Captain Thomas Crowe. On the high seas, far from her old life and even farther from England and her Uncle Samuel’s farm, Molly learns more than just the way of outcasts. Captain Crowe keeps secrets—many secrets—and possesses an extraordinary ring crafted by Molly’s father—a man she thought to be long gone. Life on the fringes of civilization offers something forbidden and exciting to Molly, and when Thomas’s secrets are revealed, she is immersed in a world of magic and myth more real and much greater than she could have ever imagined.
Publication Date: 04/24/15
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Challenger Deep
Brendan Shusterman, Neal Shusterman
Synopsis:

A captivating, National Book Award-winning novel about mental illness that lingers long beyond the last page, Challenger Deep is a heartfelt tour de force by New York Times bestselling author Neal Shusterman. Laurie Halse Anderson, award-winning author of Speak, calls it "a brilliant journey across the dark sea of the mind; frightening, sensitive, and powerful. Simply extraordinary."

Caden Bosch is on a ship that's headed for the deepest point on Earth: Challenger Deep, the southern part of the Marianas Trench.
Caden Bosch is a brilliant high school student whose friends are starting to notice his odd behavior.
Caden Bosch is designated the ship's artist in residence to document the journey with images.
Caden Bosch pretends to join the school track team but spends his days walking for miles, absorbed by the thoughts in his head.
Caden Bosch is split between his allegiance to the captain and the allure of mutiny.
Caden Bosch is torn.

Publication Date: 04/21/15
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Love Spell
Mia Kerick
Synopsis: Strutting his stuff on the catwalk in black patent leather pumps and a snug orange tuxedo as this year’s Miss (ter) Harvest Moon feels so very right to Chance César, and yet he knows it should feel so very wrong. As far back as he can remember, Chance has been “caught between genders.” (It’s quite a touchy subject; so don’t ask him about it.) However, he does not question his sexual orientation. Chance has no doubt about his gayness—he is very much out of the closet at his rural New Hampshire high school, where the other students avoid the kid they refer to as “girl-boy.” But at the local Harvest Moon Festival, when Chance, the Pumpkin Pageant Queen, meets Jasper Donahue, the Pumpkin Carving King, sparks fly. So Chance sets out, with the help of his BFF, Emily, to make “Jazz” Donahue his man. An article in an online women’s magazine, Ten Scientifically Proven Ways to Make a Man Fall in Love with You (with a bonus love spell thrown in for good measure), becomes the basis of their strategy to capture Jazz’s heart. Quirky, comical, definitely flamboyant, and with an inner core of poignancy, Love Spell celebrates the diversity of a gender-fluid teen.
Publication Date: 04/21/15
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Romance
Don't Call Me Kit Kat
K. J. Farnham
Synopsis: Junior high is where things really start to happen. Cliques form and break apart. Couples are made and destroyed. And a reputation is solidified that you won’t ever be able to escape. Everything you do and say, and everyone you spend your time with, matters. Katie Mills knows that. She gets it. That’s why she tried so hard to get in with the cool girls at school. And why she was so devastated when those efforts found her detained for shoplifting and laughed out of cheer squad tryouts. But Katie has more to worry about than just fitting in. Her parents are divorced and always fighting. Her sister never has time for her. And her friends all seem to be drifting apart. Even worse? The boy she has a crush on is dating the mean girl at school. Everything is a mess, and Katie doesn’t feel like she has control over any of it. Certainly not over her weight, which has always topped out at slightly pudgier than normal—at least, according to her mother. So when she happens to catch one of the popular girls throwing up in the bathroom one day, it sparks an idea. A match that quickly engulfs her life in flames. Is there any going back once she gets started down this path? And would she even want to if she could?
Publication Date: 04/20/15
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Fiction
Oranit || Crossed Lines
Michael Ian Benjamin
Synopsis:

An Arab collaborator's body is found by a collapsed wall in the new Israeli settlement of Oranit. His death is hushed up and the body burned by the Palestinian villagers who hated him. Most people claim he died in his own village, although this is apparently untrue. Two years later his death is all but forgotten until a bullet is found by a wall, and everything changes. Old speculations of foul play are confirmed, and the collaborator’s death becomes a murder case.

Formerly a member of Israeli military field security, Oranit resident Jeannie now works for the Shin Bet Security Service. She's given the dubious task of "putting the case to rest again." Delving into the circumstances surrounding the Arab's death, Jeannie discovers a hidden world of smuggling, forgery and other doubtful activities tied to minor politicians and founding members of the Oranit settlement. Everyone, including Jeannie's own father, seems to be a suspect.

Author and retired Israeli army psychiatrist Michael I. Benjamin weaves an entertaining and occasionally humorous murder mystery through the tangled politics and racial tension of the Green Line, the Yom Kippur War, and the Holocaust. As Jeannie uncovers the truth, she'll never see Oranit in quite the same way.

Publication Date: 04/16/15
Age Level: Any Age
Genre: Mystery
Chopstix
A. T. Raydan
Synopsis: Wendy Wu is an ordinary teenager who lives with her parents. She has always been taught about the virtues of peace, tranquility and respect, always to use spoken word instead of violence. When fate delivers a cruel blow, her life is turned upside down. Mentally and emotionally Wendy struggles to come to terms with the changes and pretends that nothing has happened. Each evening, Wendy hides away in her room and passes time by continuing to make chopsticks for the family restaurant that is no more; the very same chopsticks that are soon to become her weapon for serving justice...A tale of betrayal, adventure and revenge.
Publication Date: 04/15/15
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
The Bullies of Wall Street
Synopsis: Can knowing how a financial crisis happened keep it from happening again? Sheila Bair, the former chairman of the FDIC, explains how the Great Recession impacted families on a personal level using language that everyone can understand.

In 2008, America went through a terrible financial crisis, and we are still suffering the consequences. Families lost their homes, had to give up their pets, and struggled to pay for food and medicine. Businesses didn’t have money to buy equipment or hire and pay workers. Millions of people lost their jobs and their life savings. More than 100,000 businesses went bankrupt.

As the former head of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Sheila Bair worked to protect families during the crisis and keep their bank deposits safe. In The Bullies of Wall Street, she describes the many ways in which a broken system led families into financial trouble, and also explains the decisions being made at the time by the most powerful people in the country—from CEOs of multinational banks, to heads of government regulatory committees—that led to the recession.
Publication Date: 04/14/15
Age Level: 12 and up
Genre: Historical Nonfiction
Cody and the Fountain of Happiness
Eliza Wheeler, Tricia Springstubb
Synopsis: Middle-grade readers drawn to Judy Moody or Clementine will find a funny and charismatic companion in Cody, star of this delightful new series.

For whimsical Cody, many things are beautiful, especially ants who say hello by rubbing feelers. But nothing is as beautiful as the first day of summer vacation, and Cody doesn’t want to waste one minute of it. Meanwhile, teenage brother Wyatt is moping over a girl, Mom is stressed about her new job as Head of Shoes, Dad is off hauling chairs in his long-distance truck, and even camp has been closed for the summer. What to do? Just when all seems lost, Cody bumps into a neighborhood boy named Spencer who is looking for a runaway cat. With a new friend and a soon-to-be-found cat, Cody is on her way to the fountain of happiness.
Publication Date: 04/14/15
Age Level: 8 - 12
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Eden West
Pete Hautman
Synopsis: Tackling faith, doubt, and transformation, National Book Award winner Pete Hautman explores a boy’s unraveling allegiance to an insular cult.

Twelve square miles of paradise, surrounded by an eight-foot-high chain-link fence: this is Nodd, the land of the Grace. It is all seventeen-year-old Jacob knows. Beyond the fence lies the World, a wicked, terrible place, doomed to destruction. When the Archangel Zerachiel descends from Heaven, only the Grace will be spared the horrors of the Apocalypse. But something is rotten in paradise. A wolf invades Nodd, slaughtering the Grace’s sheep. A new boy arrives from outside, and his scorn and disdain threaten to tarnish Jacob’s contentment. Then, while patrolling the borders of Nodd, Jacob meets Lynna, a girl from the adjoining ranch, who tempts him to sample the forbidden Worldly pleasures that lie beyond the fence. Jacob’s faith, his devotion, and his grip on reality are tested as his feelings for Lynna blossom into something greater and the End Days grow ever closer. Eden West is the story of two worlds, two hearts, the power of faith, and the resilience of the human spirit.
Publication Date: 04/14/15
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fiction

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